HOW IT WORKS – Steve Ide, owner of the new Cape Mac computer outlet in Hyannis, explains virtues of the Apple product to customers during the grand opening March 14.

The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree - particularly where business is concerned.

Hyannis, the business hub and most populated area of Cape Cod, was without an Apple computer outlet since the closing of Connecting Point on Bassett Lane last May.

But a replacement business cropped up last weekend on Route 132, across from Borders Books and Sam Diego’s, when Cape Mac opened its doors in the 2,800-square-foot location with a drawing for a free computer, attracting a steady stream of curious hopefuls and customers.

Steve Ide, owner of Cape Mac, said the move to Hyannis from Harwich, where he was for 3 ½ years, filled his needs to expand floor space for addition of a classroom and tech lab where repairs are made and service rendered.

“We outgrew the Harwich location, but since Hyannis has been without an Apple outlet, and since it is the business hub, and since it has population density, and since we found the space we needed here, we moved,” he said. “Our loyal following in Harwich wasn’t too happy about it, but we’re not that far away.”

Ide said that between his two outlets – he has had one in Falmouth for seven years – he has “thousands of customers” using Apple products on the Cape and, as far as he knows, he’s the only authorized Apple service center this side of the bridges.

“It was a natural move for us,” Ide said, “because we have the most experience – 200 years among our employees. I’m reluctant to say,” he quipped, “that 25 years of that is mine.”

Six of the company’s 12 employees, a few of them part-timers, will staff the Hyannis outlet, a mix of sales personnel, repair and service technicians and instructors. “We instruct every new buyer on the basics of the item they purchased,” Ide said.

There will be class instruction on specific programs. Each class, at $29, lasts two hours or more.

Of the Apple computer product, Ide said it is the only product that is “virus free naturally” and doesn’t need special programs to protect the system and maintain its viability.

He and his employees spent last Saturday explaining the product’s “extremely secure” Unix operating system required for fast multi-tasking. “Apple put its user interface on top of the powerful Unix system and made it easier to use,” he said.

All service is performed on-site by Apple-trained and tested technicians, Ide said. “Even the salespeople must pass an Apple test before they go into sales,” he said.

“Service and support are key for anybody who buys a computer,” Ide declared. “You can buy an Apple in some larger stores, but you don’t get us,” meaning on-site training and technical service. “Forget calling an 800 number and getting somebody in India. If you’re not a geek, the most important thing is support.”

Cape Mac bills itself as “Apple specialists” selling the “latest Apple products, a full line of hardware and software solutions, and the only Cape authorized service provider.”

The Hyannis store is at 973 Iyannough Road (Route 132). Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. There’s more information at www.CapeMac.com.